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Blue Beetle (2023)
Host Overreacting...
I went in with an open mind hoping to enjoy this, but sadly it's just not a very good movie. The script is awful which directly affects the performances. It didn't matter whether the actors were good or not because the writing was so bad that it made their job an impossible task. I really enjoyed Xolo Maridueña in Cobra Kai and he does what he can, but much like the rest of the cast the horrible dialogue is just too much for him to overcome. The only actor who is able to maintain some semblance of dignity (ironically) is George Lopez. The writers knew exactly what they wanted to do with Rudy and his character was the best written in the film. It is obvious that Susan Sarandon is having a good time playing a cartoon villain but she had a lot more success playing an actual cartoon villain in Enchanted. Here she is just over-the-top in a movie that can't decide whether it wants to be superhero or reality based. Overall, I can see why this did so poorly and that no one saw it. I wish I hadn't.
The Iron Claw (2023)
Tonight, I Walk With My Brothers...
This is a true American tragedy. It always amazes me when people complain about historical inaccuracies in biopics. The emphasis has always been on dramatizing events to make the movie more entertaining, which is the whole point. While some of The Iron Claw's timelines may not match up, and the Dad was supposedly not that harsh, there is very little sensationalism in their interpretation of Von Erich curse. It is sort of astonishing to think about the fact that five of the six brothers died prematurely. Less surprising were the three suicides when you consider the toll that professional wrestling often takes on its stars through the grueling schedule, drug abuse and injuries. I've spent the majority of my life following it and there are too many stories like that to count. The Iron Claw does a solid job of bringing the sport to life through some of the most famous stars in history. It is very sad and often hard to watch but it's also an important lesson for the audience to take away about the true cost of such entertainment. Zac Efron is fantastic, and while there isn't that much for Jeremy Allen White to do, I have loved him since Shameless, so I think he's great in everything. Fresh off of Mindhunter, Holt McCallany turns in another excellent performance as the overbearing patriarch as well. I will echo a few other reviews that I've read and say that the one terrible performance in the film was Aaron Dean Eisenberg. Not sure how he got the job of playing Ric Flair, but he wasn't anywhere close to capturing that legend. This is a great film, but I would recommend that you make sure you are in the right mindset when you sit down for it. It can be very depressing.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)
Apes Together, Strong...
I am a sucker for these movies. I loved the original series and I believe the updated trilogy are some of the best films to come out over the last decade plus. They ended the Caesar saga beautifully, so it was only natural that they would begin telling different stories from there. I really enjoyed the jump forward in time. Hopefully there will come a time when we catch up with the Charlton Heston story in the future. They teased it in "Rise," so I can't wait for them to come around to it. While "Kingdom," isn't as amazing as the first three, it is still really well-crafted and I had a great time watching it. The characters were really well developed, and I thoroughly enjoyed that they didn't make the humans out to be the definitive heroes in the end. Much like the themes discussed in the previous films there is a blurry line and both ape and human can be evil. As long as they keep making these, I will keep throwing my money at them.
His Dark Materials (2019)
To The Mind That is Still, The Whole Universe Surrenders...
This was one of the hardest film or television shows to rate for me. On paper it should be a homerun. It is well crafted, true to the source material and the production values are excellent. They made the wise decision to turn each season into the individual novel from the series and this gave them a perfect opportunity to load the show with as much material from the books as possible. Perhaps because I was younger when I read the trilogy, I had a fondness for the novels that didn't translate to the screen as an older person. I found the series difficult to stay engaged with, and the pacing slow. My mind wandered often. Like so many things from childhood it is possible that it just doesn't translate to adulthood because I've lost a bit of the whimsy I had when I first opened the book. I recognize all of the series' triumphs and believe they made an excellent adaptation of the novels, I just couldn't seem to care.
Great Expectations (1998)
There Either is or is Not a Way Things Are...
Beautifully shot by Alfonso Cuarón, the 1998 adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic novel is haunting, sharp and very well executed. There are times when it can be difficult to watch without becoming genuinely emotional...whether that emotion is anger or sadness. That is the true mark of fantastic storytelling in my book. Dickens' story translates very well to modern day and the casting was perfect for the time in which it was released. Ethan Hawke has always been excellent, and Gwyneth Paltrow was riding a huge wave of success from Shakespeare in Love two years prior. She was the "it" girl of the time which made her the ideal casting choice for Estella. The secondary characters in the movie are almost all recognizable and very appropriate for being a product of the 90s. In so many ways, this is a tragic love story. Despite its pseudo "happy" resolution, the tragic nature of their relationship and how broken they are at the end makes the final dialogue about everything being in the past almost unbelievable. I hadn't seen it in years, and it affected me way more as a grown man then it did when I saw it as a young adult. I suppose that goes to show how much aging can put things into perspective. It's a beautiful movie with a great director and cast that probably doesn't get the credit it deserves over a quarter of a century later.
A Quiet Place (2018)
Hush...
Just finished watching this for the very first time and it was excellent. The movie wastes no time getting right to it and leaves little Easter eggs for the audience to figure how we arrived at this point. This was a very intelligent idea by the writers so that they didn't have to spend a large quantity of time on the back story. That makes the film nice and svelte with an hour and a half run time of great suspense and a cast that is so good that they don't even really need the dialogue. Overall, this was a very fresh idea for both the sci-fi and horror genre, and it is easy to see why everyone loved it, and why it has spawned its own universe with multiple films. Starting the first sequel right away!
The Fall Guy (2024)
I Had to Do Some Jason Bourne S**t...
I had a lot of fun watching this movie. Let's face it, we as a society take ourselves way too seriously these days, and it was refreshing to see a film that didn't. It knew what it wanted to be and executed it perfectly. It has a great cast, clever writing, excellent action sequences, and the humor used throughout really helps the silly nature of the plot. The television series was certainly part of my childhood, and while this is loosely based on that, they definitely go their own way. Ryan Gosling is one of the hottest stars on the planet at the moment and the creative team takes full advantage of their beloved star. I always enjoy Emily Blunt and her chemistry with Gosling is perfect! I was sorry to see that it wasn't performing well at the box office early on, but I could easily see this getting turned into a franchise if it takes off. Even if that doesn't happen, it is a great standalone movie and you will definitely have a blast with it if you don't take your film watching too seriously.
The King's Speech (2010)
Did I Stutter?
I will echo what a few of the other reviews on here have said. The performances are solid but that is sort of where my enjoyment began and ended. This movie isn't particularly interesting and when you consider that Tom Hooper was the director, it becomes much clearer why. The butcher of Les Miz and the man solely responsible for making a mockery of Cats (cough), somehow continues to be entrusted with art pieces to the detriment of all ticket buyers. The pacing is slow and though the film isn't particularly long, it felt like it was. Colin Firth does a fantastic job, but I believe that Geoffrey Rush is the unsung hero here, employing what I call the "Rain Man" effect. Dustin Hoffman received all the accolades for his portrayal of the autistic brother in that movie, but I would venture to say that Tom Cruise had the more difficult assignment playing the straight man next to a far more flamboyant role. The same is true of Rush in The King's Speech. Firth has the more dynamic character and he deserves the praise he received, but it is Geoffrey Rush's calm and steadfast Logue that holds this story together. Helena Bonham Carter is always good, but I don't see anything exceptional in this role that warranted an Academy Award nomination. Overall, I would say that it was a slow year for the Academy if this is what passed for a Best Picture in 2010.
Boardwalk Empire (2010)
Kingdoms Rise, Kingdoms Fall...
I just finished watching this series for the first time and I was sorry to see it end. It is incredibly well crafted. The sets, costumes, soundtrack and performances are all excellent. Like most shows of this nature, each season presents a new problem or "boss" for Steve Buscemi's Nucky Thompson to overcome in order to advance himself further during Prohibition America. At the end of the second season there was a brief moment when I thought the series had lost something by killing off a very important character. I felt the same during Ned Stark's Game of Thrones storyline for obvious reasons. Much like that show, I was proven wrong and the series found new and interesting ways to captivate me throughout the five seasons. The creator and writers all did a wonderful job of weaving the fake narrative into actual events that took place during the time period and they chose the perfect actors to portray the most famous gangsters that have ever lived. If I had to nitpick anything, I would say that it was clear they didn't know what direction they wanted to go with Michael Shannon's Agent Van Alden and as a result they ended up squandering arguably the best actor in the series. Some of the mischief he got into was intriguing but overall the character had no clear direction throughout the series. In my opinion, the best performances of the show in an ensemble of great actors belong to Shea Whigham as Eli Thompson and Jack Huston as Richard Harrow. They built incredibly nuanced characters and each was given a satisfying conclusion. Boardwalk Empire is excellent, and while I understand why some people have complained about the slow pacing, for a history person like me, I found it to be enthralling and a lot of fun.
Fantastic Four (2015)
There is Risk, There is Sacrifice, and There are Consequences...
It's just not very good. Nothing really happens in the movie. They made the cardinal mistake of using the ENTIRE film as an origin story. Their worst fumbling of the ball was how they handled Doctor Doom. They don't bring him into the mix until there is only half an hour left in the movie. That forced them to manufacture a world ending scenario in about thirty seconds. His character design is horrible too. I didn't hate the casting all that much, though I am partial to the 2005 cast. They at least seemed to be having fun. This cast focused too heavily on being dark and brooding and so you never really care if they team up. It also seemed like they knew it wouldn't really work because they didn't leave anything open for a sequel. They killed off one of Marvel's greatest villains with relative ease and didn't even really leave any room for him to return...not even an end of credits blurb. Also, the dialogue about them choosing a name at the end of the movie is God awful! I'm not surprised this tanked so badly with fans of the comic and I'm super skeptical given the current state of the MCU that Feige will be able to redeem them. Do yourself a favor and check out the 2005 film. The sequel isn't that great but the first movie is so much more fun.
Legally Blonde (2001)
First Impressions Are Not Always Correct...
I'm a huge Reese Witherspoon fan! Her performance in Walk the Line is one of the best ever put on film in my opinion. I've never really watched Legally Blonde the movie before now. I've seen the musical and didn't care much for it. Like most musicals that have been adapted from films, the movie is always better and that is very much true of Legally Blonde. This could have easily been a puff piece, but with Witherspoon in the lead, Elle Woods is loveable and you spend the entirety of the movie rooting for her success in every endeavor. It has an excellent supporting cast that all do exactly what they should to support the story and keep it from turning into bubblegum pop. If I have a complaint about the story it is how quickly Elle gets thrust into the trial as a lawyer. In a film that is mostly centered in truth, this plot point is completely out in left field. The movie is short enough that they could have afforded to build up to that a bit more. That minor faux pas aside, Legally Blonde is a good movie that makes the most out of its outstanding star.
Kingpin (1996)
She Said Handsome, Not Handless...
Who would have predicted that Randy Quaid would be at his most tame in a Farrelly Brothers movie? As a slapstick comedy, Kingpin is definitely one of their weaker efforts. It fares much better as a heartfelt buddy movie. There are still some belly laugh moments, but nothing anywhere near on the level of Dumb and Dumber or There's Something About Mary. The film feels like it is in a tug-of-war with its own nature. It was like they couldn't give over to making it a warm movie about a developing friendship without throwing in some lame over the top gags. They tried to force it and were unable to find a common middle ground. It's not a terrible movie by any stretch of the imagination, it just isn't funny enough to compete with their other comedies and isn't warm enough to separate itself into new ground. Definitely not a movie that most will want to watch more than once.
Men at Work (1990)
Somebody Threw Away a Perfectly Good White Boy...
Another example of a movie that I really loved when I was younger but doesn't really hold up now that I'm older. I am a huge fan of Young Guns, so when I saw that Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen were in a different type of movie I couldn't wait. It's a perfect example of an early 90s comedy but that isn't necessarily saying much. Looking at it critically, there are a few funny moments but they are mainly early on when the guys are doing garbage runs. With two good comedic actors in the movie, it is ironic that Keith David ends up being the funniest part of the film. His particular blend of crazy is perfect for the type of story Estevez was telling. The movie did bring back some childhood nostalgia, but I wouldn't call it good.
True Detective (2014)
The Detective and His Criminal Wear Versions of the Same Mask...
Anthology series' can be some of the greatest television you will ever watch. There aren't many in existence, but what a fantastic idea when they are executed with excellence. Fargo is the best of the best, and I believe True Detective belongs next on the list. Nic Pizzolatto created a prolific series that has a knack for attracting the perfect actors for the particular projects and writing fantastic material for them. These are not "whodunit" mysteries, and in fact most of the time, we don't even meet the killer until well into the season, so if you are looking for a Doyle or Christie type of mystery, this isn't for you. What you will be treated to are exceptional performances, dark and brooding scripts and a touch of the supernatural.
Season One: There's no question this is the best of the four seasons. The story was original and fresh at the time it came out, and it moved Matthew McConaughey into a whole new category of acting in the public's perception. He and Woody Harrelson have fantastic chemistry and Pizzolatto's writing was firing on all cylinders.
Season Two: Personally, I think this season is underrated. Sure it is the weakest of the four and it takes a little time to build up steam, but there is real meat there if you give it a chance. I think most people just expected something similar to the first season when it came out and it is an entirely different animal. If it suffers from anything, I think it was probably rushed forward by the network because of season one's popularity and Pizzolatto probably wasn't ready for it. Nevertheless, it is still better than the average trash they churn out these days.
Season Three: The defining factor of this season is Mahershala Ali. The story isn't particularly exciting but that didn't matter much as this was clearly an acting vehicle for Ali and we all enjoyed the benefits of it. The writing takes a step up from season two, and that was no doubt due to Ali helping inspire Pizzolatto into reigniting his fire.
Season Four: It's really good, but it does suffer from Nic Pizzolatto's absence. This was his brainchild and it feels like someone just traced over it by copying the formula. It mostly works with an amazing star, a chilling location and a provocative storyline. There was just something about it that didn't click the same with me and that can only be summed up by the absence of the creator. No wonder they tried hard to make the show its own thing by carrying a subtitle for the first time. It's still a lot of fun, but it doesn't feel like it is in the same universe.
42 (2013)
How Can You Not Be Romantic About Baseball?
"He's changing the world, and refusing to let it change him." There's nothing I can write about Jackie Robinson that hasn't already been said thousands of times. It is extraordinary that his is the only number to be retired in all of baseball with the exception of one day a year in April when all MLB clubs wear it on Jackie Robinson Day. 42 is really well written and has a great cast. A lot of the reviews I've read spoke about it being forgettable, and while it isn't the best baseball movie I've ever seen, I love the game, and as Brad Pitt's character proclaims in Moneyball, it's hard not to be romantic about the sport that produced Jackie Robinson. The late Chadwick Boseman was excellent as usual, and I believe this was Harrison Ford living in his element. He got to growl and be as grumpy as he wanted to be. I doubt this film will stand out as being one of the best ever, but there's no question the man it was based on was and will be remembered forever.
Spotlight (2015)
This is Not Just Physical Abuse, It's Spiritual Abuse Too...
This is an excellent film! At the time of its victory, Spotlight was the first Best Picture winner to only win one other Academy Award since 1952. That may seem outrageous, but when you watch the movie, it becomes more obvious why. This is an ensemble effort in every way imaginable. It very quietly and unassumingly goes about its business of telling an amazing story with a star studded cast who weren't interested in personal glory, but rather in being a part of fine art. Sure McAdams and Ruffalo were nominated too, but I feel like that was simply because they are Academy darlings. Any number of cast members could have received recognition for their contribution to this excellent movie. For the Boston Globe to have been working on this Pulitzer Prize material in the wake of 9/11 makes it that much more intriguing. The subject matter has been speculated in every kind of medium my entire life, and to have a major news organization blow it wide open was the sweetest justice imaginable. Arguably the most disturbing part of the movie was the end when they ran a list of all the different places where this behavior had been uncovered. Well crafted, well written and well performed. Pop over to Prime and check it out!
Superman II (1980)
So This is Planet Houston...
The second Superman film is definitely an improvement on the first. The original Superman movie was good, but the sequel excels at getting right to the action and benefits from a more svelte run time. It also doubles up on the villains by having two outstanding bad guys running around at the same time with Gene Hackman's Lex Luthor and Terrance Stamp's General Zod. Luthor's role is significantly reduced to allow for Zod and his acolytes to rule the day, though he still received top billing and they gave him enough screen time to keep us invested. Obviously the visual effects are dated, but it is hard to wish it had been made today because they likely would have sacrificed good storytelling in favor of CGI. The franchise goes into a steep decline from here, but the first and second movies are always fun to watch!
Superman (1978)
Clark Kent is Superman's Critique on the Whole Human Race...
I've said in previous reviews of super hero movies that the sequels tend to be better than the first. My rationale behind this is that they always have to spend a large portion of the first film on the origin story. The OG Superman is no different. There's a reason that most people consider Superman II to be the better movie. We've gotten the Kal-El backstory out of the way and we can jump right into the action with General Zod and his acolytes. I also find it interesting that they set out to film the first two back to back and got 75% of number two done before abandoning it for a while. That makes the opening scene with Zod make a lot more sense. There's no denying the first two Superman movies are classics but there are a few problems I had with the first. The pace plods along for over an hour before we actually get into any of the Superman action. Then for some reason, after existing in the city for a period of time Superman decides to start patrolling after saving Lois from a helicopter catastrophe. I suppose the thought process was that now he had revealed himself to the world, so why not get to his purpose? A lot of random crime and craziness did seem to happen on that one night though...including Air Force One nearly crashing apparently. Christopher Reeve will always be most people's favorite Superman and while I agree he is wonderful, I do think Henry Cavill was better. He just suffered from the wrong director telling his story. On the other end of the spectrum, no one will ever be able to match Gene Hackman's Lex Luthor. There was a period of speculation prior to Snyder's Man of Steel that suggested Brian Cranston was up for the role and I could have gotten behind that a helluva lot easier than Jesse Eisenberg. But since that is what we ended up with, Hackman won't be dethroned anytime soon. It was fun to revisit this for the first time in a long time, but I'm really looking forward to moving on to the sequel next.
Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008)
Deep Schist...
I like Brendan Fraser so I probably gave this a better rating than it deserves. It was made near the end of his heyday, and it was the ideal star vehicle for him considering his usual fare. It wasn't a bad hour and a half, but the film didn't really bring anything new or exciting to the table that we haven't seen in a dozen other films. As usual Fraser's charisma was well up to the task of carrying the audience through an iffy story and randomly, the kid from The Hunger Games was there too. Definitely a forgettable film but if you like Brendan Fraser then I imagine you will enjoy it for what it is.
Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
Excuse Me While I Disappear...
I've watched this film twice in my life and it was equally difficult both times. I'm not sure it exactly qualifies as entertainment. The performances are good, and I understand why Nicolas Cage and Elisabeth Shue received accolades for the movie. This script was designed for awards, not for entertainment and in that regard it was successful. I suppose the movie also works as a life lesson, cautioning against the dangers of alcoholism as well as the loneliness and vulnerability that accompanies the life of an escort. What it primarily fails at is the necessity for entertainment to help us forget about our problems and be immersed for two hours. While art should challenge us, we don't necessarily need to learn life lessons as much as we need to enjoy what we are spending our hard earned money on and Leaving Las Vegas only serves to leave you more depressed than when it started. I've said it many times in my life and I will say it again: movies shouldn't be made for the sole purpose of winning awards. Just make a good (entertaining) movie and the awards will come organically.
American Sniper (2014)
I Am Legend...
Clint Eastwood knows how to make good movies. It's that simple. I can't remember him ever missing the mark on a film that he has directed. I'm sure there are many embellishments to the story surrounding American Sniper. Considering everything I've read about Chris Kyle's penchant for stretching the truth in his book, there's no way that some dramatic license wasn't taken. This is as it should be with a film adaptation because lest we forget, it is meant to be entertaining. It certainly was that. Kyle's story comes with all of the standard fare surrounding a soldier that has seen a lot of battle. The struggle to keep his family together, dealing with PTSD and the realization that there came a time when he had to decide to put the soldier aside. This was arguably the hardest decision for him because from everything I've heard, after serving in a war, it is hard to make yourself believe that you are wired for anything else. Unless you have served your country in such a heroic fashion, there is no way for you to understand what these patriots deal with on a day to day basis. Overall, the movie is written well, Clint Eastwood did an excellent job of crafting a great story and this is probably Bradley Cooper's best work. He fares much better when he is subtle. I didn't expect much out of this movie going in, but I enjoyed it immensely.
X (2022)
Ain't None of These Girls Nice...
This was so fun! X is an outrageously crafted slasher film that follows a simple formula and executes it very well. I was very impressed by Ti West's filming style. He did a better job than anyone in recent memory of making me think I was watching an actual movie from the 70s. Like all horror movies, the acting isn't all that great but I never expect it to be. That isn't their number one function in this type of project. I will say that early on I thought Mia Goth was pretty bad, but then I realized she was double cast and that changed my perception entirely. With a huge assist from the makeup department, she crafts two very different characters, and West does a good job of keeping the makeup mostly in the dark so that it isn't always obvious that it is all prosthetics. Overall, the production team understood the assignment. Plenty of tension, some jump scares and the right amount of blood and guts. Also, the porn plot point made it possible for them to squeeze in the usual sex that a horror movie requires without it seeming gratuitous like the average slasher film. I had a lot of fun watching this movie and I'm looking forward to the prequel and upcoming sequel.
Full Circle (2023)
I Don't Know What's Happening...
Full Circle tries really hard to emulate the movie Crash. It introduces a ton of characters early, and I figured it would begin weaving them all together into a big climax. It did accomplish that, albeit in a more sluggish fashion, though I do think it suffered from having too many characters to keep track of. We weren't really able to invest in them and they muddied the story to the point where we never really knew what was happening or why we should care. They just kept throwing plot darts in the hope that one of them would stick. I considered abandoning ship mid-way through the first episode but decided to stick it out to see if it got any better. Thanks to Steven Soderbergh, Claire Danes and Timothy Olyphant, who is one of my favorites, it did get marginally better but never quite reached the tension heights and brilliant storytelling that Crash achieved. It was mildly entertaining but I spent long periods of time checking out during each episode.
Good Will Hunting (1997)
Do You Like Apples?
This holds up well. It has quite a few dramatic film clichés but they are only recognizable because of the countless copycat dramas that came after it. Matt Damon is quite good and Ben Affleck wasn't as terrible as I remember him being, though he wouldn't really hit his acting stride until about twenty years later. Robin Williams is brilliant and well deserving of the accolades he received for his performance. There's no question he was one of the funniest people alive during his time on Earth, but his dramatic choices were immaculate across the board. Every time he waded into those waters the audience received a treat. It only reaffirms what I've always known about comedians. They make the best dramatic actors across the board. Comedy is incredibly hard to master, so if you are a comedic genius then drama is easy. Damon and Affleck's script is good and the fact that they got Gus Van Sant to direct helped take it to the next level. I hadn't seen this in a long time and I really didn't expect much revisiting it. Recently I've been watching a lot of films that I hadn't seen in forever and most of them have been disappointing, so it was a pleasant surprise that this movie held up so well nearly thirty years later.
Cujo (1983)
Who Let the Dogs Out...
Stephen King is my absolute favorite author. I've read the vast majority of his catalogue several times. Unfortunately, the adaptations of his novels have been spotty at best. Most of them have been overtly terrible. On paper, Cujo seems like it would be one of his simpler works to adapt, and it is mostly successful considering it was made in 1983. I thought it was a much wiser decision to deal entirely with the dog having rabies rather than imply it was possessed by an evil man as well as being infected. The suspense is good but, the special effects just hadn't developed well enough at that time to make the dog attacks sufficiently frightening. I think for the most part Stephen King's stories just don't work as movies. Most of them are too epic to be translated on the big screen without more than one film and even then they are mostly driven by psychology and that has a much better effect on the imagination than actually seeing it play out on the big screen ever could. The only one I can think of that came anywhere close was Misery. The Stand mini-series with Gary Sinise in the 90s was also close but suffered from the same lack of technology that I mentioned with Cujo. If you have no relationship with the novel, I think it is entirely possible that you will be able to appreciate this suspenseful film for what it is and not what a Stephen King fan hoped it would be.